Ohio in snapshots

Now that I have returned & the dust has settled... here are my tiny adventures.

 I am officially back from Ohio, and I officially won't go
back for YEARS. I hope my family & the friends
I actually have left there, come visit me in Seattle now.
No offense, I'm just all Ohio'ed out.

My first childhood friend Rachel & I, bottom left.

We went to a big-kid's version of chuck-e-cheese's called "Scene 75" and played hard. We survived Glow-in-the-dark Mini Golf, climbed ourselves through the Laser-Frenzy, dislocated a shoulder in the Bouncy House, & danced the rest of the night away with excellent DJ'd jams til we were so thirsty,  the snow on the ground looked appealing. But not before the incredible 12 Foot Mosaic-tiled Michael Jackson caught my eye.

 My grandparents have such quirks. Grandma's silly sayings crack her up so hard, she's still laughing 6 minutes later. Grandpa often takes naps with shoes on, sticking out of his blankets & off the edge of the bed. And my mom's hair does it's own thing when it senses she's not using a mirror.

And last. These are where the feelings run deep. These kids sincerely weaved themselves into my brain synapses.
I miss them like crazy.
{Clockwise from top left}
Sweet baby Aurora, just new & curious with her Disney-eyes; she stole me away. Gavin's quiet sneakiness, and sincere obedience to his parent's voice melted my pre-parent core. No one besides this kid, can make his brother Maverick laugh so hilariously.My darling Payton... who knew a 4 year old could be so witty? She's sharper than I ever hope to be & yet loving all at once. Baby Jaxon's good manner & shocking blue eyes had me captivated the whole time. I miss all my little loves.

Catchin' Up! Part I.

My life has begun, guys(sarcasm!).

I do feel that I have opened a new chapter though. Lots of new experiences, lots of new feelings, more mature thoughts & decisions... don't tell my mom but... I kinda like it ;]

I have SO much to show & tell... and I know this is sort of a blogger's no-no, to give away so much at one time. But you guys totally deserve it, you've been patient(either that or you just forgot about little ol' me! =O) STILL I'll have to split this post into 2, maybe 3 different parts... there's just so much.

I'm about to expose your eyes to many spectacular images, you won't need to do anymore web browsing today. Deal?

 Enjoy, darling doves.

Firstly. I got a haircut. Yes, I even went so far as to get my hair slightly COLORED. *gasp*

Here are the stages. Anyone heard of Successful Seattle Salon-Owner Lisa Vann of Milagros? Or Bruno Elorrioroz?? You should! He's the top colorist in the WORLD as of this moment. Aveda's Master Technical Director.Yup, ya heard. He was standing in my breathing space. He delicately picked up my hair and said in his beautiful French accent *soft, but intentional gasp* "She has such beautiful natural COLOUR!" And then he formulated this happy "After" face! In order of occurrence:

Here's the fill-in story: (Can I get a "Hallelujah-you're-still-a-redhead!?") School has restarted(I had a 2 week break; too long), and I'm back to the commute-school-commute-shower-sleep-commute cycle.

I'll start as far back as I can remember... since we last talked....
The construction company I work for, has moved! That was... tiring. But hey! My temporary business cards for school, came in! THAT. IS. EXCITING.

Now I have to figure out how to get rid of 250 business cards in the next 2 months...

Kid :)
This last month has truly brought me some very strong, beautiful memories that I will cherish for as long as I live. For one thing, I got one of my best friends back. His struggle to be the best of himself has been a treacherous, threatening, & faith-strengthening experience... for both him & myself. So I want him to know how much he means to me & all our friends here, & that him being out-of-state, won't keep him from being in our thoughts & prayers of support everyday. I've never been prouder of you, Besty. You now have the entire world at your disposal. Make it worth your while :)

In addition to that, I helped my Photographer Friend move into a new house one weekend. We are monsters that rolled a PIANO out of a moving truck to her local Goodwill. Then we rescued a wandering puppy for the night & returned him to his rightful owners the next morning. Isn't he just melt-worthy?

Moving on for all you cat-people, no need to retreat to a different site :P

I was given a surprise gift. THE best surprise gift(I'm not a huge fan of surprises, shhh), need I repeat THE BEST surprise gift ever. Dudeson, these just showed up at my house! I can't rave enough. They're absolutely perfect. And they're ME. *gah!* Thank YOU! YOU!

A group of my friends were going up to Crystal Mountain for snowboarding, & altho I didn't have room in my budget for the whole affair(student still! :)), I at least went up to babysit(ha! jk guys), and perhaps ride the Gondola after the winds subsided. Wow it was a beautiful sight at the top. Here's a peek at my way up:

I've just decided that it's time to go to bed. Yes, it's 10:25pm and I have school en la manana IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED. I have TONS of Seattle adventures to share with you, but I'll save them for the next UPDATE. I promise you, the next update will happen sometime next week. Hopefully before the next 7 days have flashed before my mind's eye.

You guys have been great, really. You're my favorite crowd ;) Haha I'll exit on that note.

<3, bex

P.S. If you're experiencing any kind of snow/ice/sleet days, like I am.... DRIVE SLOW. Or better yet- bundle up and WALK somewhere :) It's fun, trust me. Safety first!!!

What I've been up to(aka accidentally ignoring you)

So I'll sum up, cause that's what I do ... First I got some food, with a handsome face, then opened a fortune cookie. I don't believe they're magic or anything, it was just cutesy :P

Then I made some cupcakes- and with the force that is all my own wonderment, I balanced the spoon on the edge of the bowl. *jazz hands*

Nextly, I ate the cupcake. Yeah, those are chocolate chips in the bottom ;)

Sidenote- these pictures may be out of order.. That's what I get for bloggin' in bed with an app.

Then! THENNN...my coworker acquired a beautiful new mouse for me, from a far away land named "Tar-jay," or maybe Target... Something fancy.

And you'll never guess what happened after that... I was GIVEN a delightful raspberry cobbler thing... It was so impeccably mind-altering, that I can't even recall the title.

So you see the water picture somewhere down there? That's where I've been spending 12-13 hours a day on the Seattle scene. Attending school! The school I've always dreamed of :) but the sad part is that now I have less time for you my kitten-faces, my doves. Oh how I miss our witty banter. Our long discussions about shopping & random people that we watch. Don't lie, you people-watch & you know it.

One more picture description! I promise. See me with the name tag? That was an exciting evening. I was riding the bus(gasp! I know!), to the University with my adopted brother. We walked the gorgeous campus that is lined with walkways just BUILT for autumn strolls at 6pm, as the sun is lowering it's beams across the paved paths. And there's lamp posts for squirrels to sit on as you crunch by, not intending on being so noisy, but there IS after all, only ONE fall season per year. And you're wearing fuzzy scarves! Don't forget peacoats & scarves & boots, & oh my! How studly some guys look in scarves!

I won't forget you. Don't forget me! Keep peeking back- cause before you know it... I'll be an esthetician! And I'll have half a day PER DAY to myself again- to write to YOU... my dearest muffinhead.

*waves handkerchief*
We will see each other soon, don't fret!! I've got lots of poems built up for occasions like this!!

Have a great week lovelies!
Xoxo, Bex.

shhhhhhhh!

Don't tell that I skipped. Skipped what? Huh?

Who?
LAST SATURDAY I WENT & RAN THRU THE MUD. Oh yes I did!

I totally have been holding out on you. If you haven't been enlightened as to JUST how cute 13 year olds can be...wait... I mean THESE mindless kids... You've been missing out. PLEASE WATCH :)

"..a hundred forty characters is moooore than enough!"  

... Oh, hai! You're here. What was I saying?

Wednesday I went on a bike ride!

Here's mah boys...

Today... I went with a Client to pick out their house materials...

Holy moley...4 hours later...

I was officially bored.

And then...

I SNAPPED!

And then they fed me :)

Yay!

THIS IS A PIECE OF TILE.

Isn't it purdy? It looks like metal!

The End. 

My SURPRISE event is this weekend, and I'll tell you about it next week- cause if I did now.... welllllllllll that would be a DUMB move. I'm a woman *points to brain*...

Have a great weekend, you silly shenanigans :]

<3, bex...

Friday grew wings!!

Whoa. My Friday flew by a little faster than I expected, how about yours?? I'm getting ready for bed and wanted to drop you all a line- I didn't forget my promise... Of an announcement!

Remember when I said "this dirty thing" a few weeks back? You didn't click thru, did you? :P I don't blame you. So it's called the "Survivor Mud Run" and I'll be participating tomorrow with a few friends. Wish me speedy legs and expansive lungs!!

I'll be back Tuesday with a mini-recap hopefully if I remember(someone PLEASE remind me!)!
Take care :]

<3, cyber-Bex (heh heh don't be J.)

Top o' the Tuesday to yer!

hai!

THIS WEEKEND!!!! I was in a photo shoot for my photographer-friend-Jenna, who is super creative & talented. She came up with this idea to photograph us in a field of yellow buttercups, & we were to act sad & forlorn over a "lost love." Oh that sounds weird to you, huh? CHECK IT OUT. As I say, don't knock it, 'til you try it ;) It turned out to be a beautiful day, and all the pollen was floating freely... now I am congested beyond belief. BUT, it was worth it. :] I know, I'm weird. Promise to go see Jenna, and the whole shebang???(coughINCLUDES-BLOOPER-REELcough) Dang, excuse my dry throat. Go see her blog NOW! She's for hire!! ;)
Here's a little teaser story for ya...

Oh HOW shall I ever recover?  ...

...His love was all I knew.

~~~

Hey, wait a sec! I'm important too! 

"Plus I'm tired of sitting around moping!"

 "Time to dry our eyes, friend."

 We will pick flowers. We will see the world.
We will see new faces in our flowers!

Oh, and we'll make GRR faces at new people too.

;]

See you Friday, knucklehead.

<3, bex.

Clever Marketing...

Good day to you :)
Anyone else see what I see in this picture?
Yeah it's grainy and horrible, but you can still see what I see.

 [...Look closer?....]

Why YES. That is a Starbucks Drive-thru built into a bank.

Genius or Heinous? 

You already know where I stand :]
_____________________

I wish you a great weekend, & try to find a little adventure... who knows how hard you'll end up laughing about it later.

<3, bex

Things I've been up to...

What have you been up to?

Spelunking? Designing secure entries in underground tunnels for the President? Shredding documents that bear social security numbers? Restocking books at your Barnes & Noble job? Me neither. BUT HOLY SMOKES have I been on busy-overload. Lemme Es'plain....

 

I am training hard for some dirty, filthy, fun thing that's gonna happen in June. Therefore I am at the gym 5 days a week(phew). That in itself, takes up 2 hours of my day because of travel, changing, and showering time. Then I have class 4-5 days a week as well; this is from 10-11:30ish. I work part time from 1-5pm Mon-Fri, too. Plus I have a particular 2 hour(usually) bracket dedicated to Wednesday nights. Also Tuesday & Thursday night engagements that require preparation and study.

Where is my bracket for laundry?

Where do I fit in maintaining my health? My makeup? Cleaning my bathroom?

DON'T get me wrong here... I am in no way complaining! :)
I absolutely love my busy schedule.

I love the fact that it keeps my mind engaged and always revolving, anticipating the next event; stimulating creative parts of my brain that I haven't used in a while. That is sincerely priceless to me. It's the small things, right? 

And so now I've added another task for myself. I am planning ... Ah-HEM... an Event. It's not a blog event, it's just something I need to do(that might be mildly HUGE), and something I've been meaning to do for a year now. You'll see pictures in about 2 months when it's over, but SHHH I can't tell you what it is. You understand, right? I'll show you pictures of other things, now though :) Ready? Me too!!

 

I went here between work & school the other week, to catch up on reading & some vitamin D. I've realized that whenever POSSIBLE that I have 10-30 minutes of free time, and it's somewhat sunny outside- I HAVE to take advantage, and sit outside for mental recovery from running around in whirlwinds. What a blessing :] Relaxation is such a gift.

 Being crazy is also a gift :)

Recently.... I revived my love for all things orange(not counting soda, of course). Remember that Nickelodeon(oh hey, the Nick logo is orange, too right??) show back in the late 90's called "Kenan & Kel?" Remember how Kenan would entice Kel into doing some-mischievous-thing for him, by bribing him with orange soda?

Kenan: "WHO. LOVES. ORANGE. SODA?
KELLLLLLL Loves orange soda."

Kel: "I do, I do, I DO-OOOOOH!"

Guess who else had a serious orange soda addiction in her younger years? This dude. Check it out. I've been eating oranges like they're goin' outta style. And it doesn't fulfill my craving for them, either. Weird, huh?

You succulent little darling.

*le sigh*

ANYWHO. That's what I've been up to. Enjoying life :)

Now tell me about your recent enjoyments/disappointments & we'll figure out how to either make them better, or how to get you to visit me so we can have an adventure for me to share with all our friends :)

xoxo, bex

An hour by the sea...

December was quite chillin'. And by "chillin'" I mean I froze my arsenal off most days... it keeps coming back tho, so... your guess is as good as mine on that. ANYWAY. Being the dummy explorer that I am, I conned a couple of my besties into coming to the Northern Land of Port Angeles with me, to run a couple errands.

While we were up there in Antarctica, we went to the ocean. YEAH. We went to the ocean. Let me tell you something... It. Was. Cold. And guess what I wore? A wool sweater. YEAH. I'm not sounding too intelligent here, so I'll just shush myself, and show you the shots. It was crisply beautiful. The pics don't relay that tho, just pretend it's magnificent. mmkay? mmkay.

Highlights: Kid, taught my cousin Adam(also one of my besties) how to skip a stone. In the ocean spray, which was about 25 degrees Fahr(-eezing!!)enheit, we stood like brave Seagulls, enduring the howling Canadian winds. I though, being a woman... gathered my few smarts that hadn't frozen over, walked across the jetty to the non-windy side, and took a couple snapshots which I cannot find anywhere right now(sorry, dolls. That's how rough it is in these streets). I apologize for the crappy picture quality... I honestly can't explain what happened... Just read on...

"Now, LISTEN Son. This is how you skip a rock."

"Use this arm. Pull back, throw, and don't lose your balance!"

"Eeeaasssy now..."

- "Like, THIS dad?!"
- "Yes. Whoa now, watch your step."

"Here GOES!"

- "Where'd it go, dad?"
*silence*

"Let me show you how it's done, son."
*iBAM!*

"I'm walking away now, you've embarrassed me enough." 

- This was the part of the trip when I got bright green moss stains all over my
light-wash jeans. Yeah, that was my favorite. -

Then, Kid pronounced this land "COLD."

But I could barely hear him 'cause I was heading back to the car...

Goodbye car! Adam sold you a few weeks ago. I'm glad I got to reminisce over our good times.

*le sigh*

Have a safe week!! :)

Adventures, even the bleakest(see above), can be fun when you've got the right attitude. 

So as Benny Goodman says: 

"You've got to laugh a little, cry a little,

until the clouds roll by a little."

xox, bex